Duncan sits as balanced effort stalls Kings

Updated 12:32 am, Thursday, April 19, 2012

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

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San Antonio spurs center Tiago Splitter, left, of Brazil, is fouled by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

San Antonio spurs center Tiago Splitter, left, of Brazil, is fouled by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18,

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tim Duncan showed up at Power Balance Pavilion on Wednesday night wearing a sport coat, a predictable sartorial choice for the Spurs' 36-year-old power forward with his team playing the final game of a back-to-back-to-back.

Manu Ginobili, the Spurs' second-oldest player, was a different story.

For the third time in as many nights, Ginobili slipped on his black No. 20 jersey and contributed to a lopsided Spurs victory, this one a 127-102 affair at the expense of the Sacramento Kings.

“I need to play,” Ginobili said after his 17-minute stint. “I need to be on the court. I'm starting to feel good. I need to keep it going.”

The same could be said of the team that signs Ginobili's paychecks.

Behind a 69-point second half, the Spurs — who in March became one of only six NBA teams to sweep a back-to-back-to-back in this lockout-shortened season — became the only club to accomplish that twice.

Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter each contributed 17 points off the bench for the Spurs (45-16), who had seven players — including four reserves — in double figures.

The 34-year-old Ginobili, having totaled 39 minutes in the first two games of the trip, needed minutes.

“In our first game of this trip, Manu played 14 minutes,” Popovich said. “He basically got on the treadmill. He didn't really do anything. Last night, he played 25 minutes. That's not very much when a guy has missed 30 games and he's trying to get in shape.”

If Ginobili's first game on the trip was akin to light calisthenics, Wednesday's workout — good for 13 points and five assists — was an MMA bout. A collision with Tyreke Evans opened a small cut inside his right ear.

Ginobili didn't return to the game after that, though the scrape did not require stitches.

“I'm trying to mix it up,” Ginobili said of his injury laundry list. “Hand, ab, ear. Keep it entertaining.”

For those who recall Ginobili's fractured elbow last season, there was nothing funny about seeing the Argentine guard briefly prostrate.

“We have to have all three of those guys healthy to have a chance,” Popovich said.

That's in the playoffs. Wednesday in Sacramento, the Spurs' Big Three needn't overexert itself.

The Spurs led 58-57 after a first half Popovich treated as a preseason game — Duncan out, Parker playing 12 minutes, Ginobili logging nine.

In the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard helped them pull away from the Kings, scoring nine of his 13 points in the frame. When Danny Green dropped in a corner 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the third, the Spurs had a 73-63 lead and later pushed it as high as 27.

“To come in without our best player and win by 20 says a lot about this team,” forward Stephen Jackson said. “We've got a lot of guys who can get the job done, and I'm happy to be a part of it.”